Resurrection and the Art of Folding
I don’t fold laundry very neatly, but my wife is an expert at it. I admit that I have asked her on occasion to show me how to fold better. I don’t fold exactly as she wants me to, but every time I see folded laundry, I am reminded how neatly folded piles of clothes show thoughtfulness and care toward those we love who wear them, and that is beautiful. Folding laundry might be a mundane and monotonous chore we simply must do, but even the most common tasks can be infused with meaning.
This reminds me of the story in the Gospel of John in which the disciples Peter and John run into the tomb and find only neatly folded clothes: “And the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed” (John 20:7–8).
The cloths that had covered Jesus had not been thrown on the ground in a disorderly heap but carefully folded. The neatly folded head covering played a part in convincing John of the resurrection. I find it fascinating that Jesus took the time to precisely fold His linen face cloth with care. Just as I’m sure you could discern the difference between my wife’s folded pile of clothes and mine, I think the disciples discerned the way in which Jesus folded His face linen. It is clear to me that Jesus’ mannerisms were recognizable to His closest disciples (Luke 24:35).
Something about the folded clothes left in the tomb convinced John of the resurrection. Jesus had deliberately and neatly folded His face linen, and nothing He did was unimportant. This precise folding was a statement of His handiwork. In the midst of his perplexity, John remembered that Jesus had said He would rise. Jesus is risen from the dead and has power over everything, including death itself. Therefore, new creation has begun and all things will eventually be made right. Nothing in our lives or the cosmos will be left in a shabby or misshapen mess, for order and perfection are the manner of His work.
Craig Ashton Jr.
Theological InTents 
One Response to “Resurrection and the Art of Folding”
Nice! Easy to understand story for how Jesus folded his burial linens so John and others would know it was Jesus himself that rose and folded them! Positive proof of His raising from the dead!
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